Koghis kauri

Kaoris are giant conifers of the southern forests – the most famous specimen, in the Rivière Bleue park, is probably about a thousand years old.

Agathis lanceolata is an endemic tree of the araucaria family, with a straight, massive trunk with flaking bark and a crown of hard, lance-shaped leaves. It grows mainly in the southern part of Grande Terre, in forests at 100 to 900 m above sea level, often on ultramafic soils. It yields pale, easily worked timber, which is why it was heavily exploited in the past. Of its once extensive range, only small, scattered populations remain today.

Significance in the country

The giant kaori in Rivière Bleue Provincial Park is one of New Caledonia’s main natural attractions and a symbol of the protection of the island’s forests. The history of kaori logging in the 19th and 20th centuries has become a warning against the overexploitation of endemic trees.

Where it grows

Mainly in the South Province – in the montane forests of southern Grande Terre, including Rivière Bleue park and the massifs around Nouméa.

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